Firefighters work with bikers to help reduce injuries and death toll

Firefighters are working with bikers to reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or injured on Scotland's roads.

Published:13:34Friday 15 July 2016

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Firefighters are working with bikers to reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or injured on Scotland’s roads.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews regularly respond to serious collisions knowing those on two wheels are by far the most likely to be involved in a tragedy.

As many riders travel in pairs or groups a fellow biker is often the first person on scene following an incident involving a motorcycle.

In a pilot project firefighters are running Biker Down courses, giving riders potentially life-saving skills to help them make the scene of a collision safe and protect a casualty.

The initiative first came to Scotland in 2015 when Firefighter John Branney of North Lanarkshire’s Cumbernauld Community Fire Station sought permission to replicate the Kent Fire and Rescue Service project.

His team of volunteers – all firefighters and members of the SFRS Bikers Section – has delivered numerous courses over the past year.

Dozens of motorcyclists from across Scotland have taken part, with the firefighters sharing their experience of attending serious road traffic collisions to make them aware of the dangers that face casualties and those coming to their aid.

Participants learn ways of making a scene safe, first aid appropriate to common types of injury and how to safely remove a helmet. The course also helps bikers make it less likely they will become a casualty, by covering ways those on two wheels can get noticed by other road users.

More information on the courses is available by visiting the ‘Biker Down Scotland’ Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Biker-Down-Scotland-100598230291251/.